Child's Play
by Katara Tojiro
Summary: When Naruto and Sakura decide to drag others into their little game of tag, they have no idea what the consequences will be. They should've see it coming. After all, no shinobi wants to lose. (Edited)
1. The Beginning

_This short story takes place in Shippuden before all the crazy stuff happens. In other words, right after Naruto comes back with Jiraiya._

/...Tsunade's Office...\

Three shinobi stood, forming a semicircle in a large room protected against eavesdropping. They faced a fourth person, a woman, whose scowl emanated anger and power. She glared at the younger ninja standing straight and still before her desk. For now, they were the very picture of obedience. The woman at the desk's usually warm eyes were now sharp and disapproving. A long minute of silence passed, then it was shattered by a knock on the door. The instant the woman's eye left her charges' to glance at the door, the façade of order surrounding the three vanished.

Naruto and Sakura began shuffling back and forth, with Naruto trying to stay as far away as possible from his friend. They appeared to completely forget about Tsunade. Even Kakashi, after a brief conversation with the man outside the door, forgot about standing straight. He slouched against the wall opposite Tsunade, his attention focused on a small orange book. The Hokage took a single moment to seethe at their disrespect. If she thought about it too long she knew she'd realize it was her fault. She'd never really given them the discipline they deserved; never taught them to respect those above them.

After the one moment of anger, the Godaime stood up. Instantly, Kakashi assumed the military air again. His former students didn't.

"Naruto, Sakura! Pay attention! "

"Eh?" They stopped moving, Naruto nervously trying to watch both Sakura and her teacher. "Yeah, Grandma Tsunade?" That comment was the last straw for Tsunade.

"Listen to me when I speak!" Her fist slammed onto the paperwork-laden desk, nearly breaking it in two. Kakashi, who was now at Tsunade's side, leaned against the large window behind her and returned to his book. He did not intend to become a subject of the Godaime's wrath.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade," said Naruto.

"Yes, Shishou," Sakura said. Her focus was on Naruto, but after deciding that he was out of her reach, she turned her attention to her teacher. Or rather, she focused on a point to the right of Tsunade's head. Through the large window, Sakura could see a building with a rather large hole in it. Like her shishou, she could cause damage on a large scale when angered.

"If you listened to half of what I say, things like this wouldn't happen every time you two are together. I swear if you weren't the jinchūriki and my best medic you would never be allowed anywhere near each other. Jiraiya should've kept you...More trouble than you're worth...third building you have destroyed...wish you both could act more mature..." Tsunade's rant was ignored as Sakura moved slightly closer to her blond friend. He scooted away as inconspicuously as he could. He should've known Tsunade would notice.

"PAY ATTENTION!" Naruto flinched, not expecting the Godaime's scream. However, Sakura was used to Tsunade's loud voice. She took advantage of the distraction and lunged towards Naruto, nearly slamming him into the wall.

"You're it!" As Naruto whirled around to tag her back, she shushined away. All that remained where Sakura had been were a few leaves, drifting gently to the ground.

Tsunade connected the dots, finally understanding why her favorite student put a hole in the nearby building. "This was all about a game of tag?" A muscle in her face twitched. She slowly advanced towards the blond-haired boy. Since Sakura wasn't there, Naruto would have to pay for the damage. He'd provoked Sakura, so it was partly his fault anyway. "Naarutoo you idiot!" Said idiot shrieked and crouched down, covering his head with his arms.

"Don't hurt me obaa-chan!" As Tsunade leaped at him, Naruto turned slightly to look at her. His lips curled into a slight smile. He flew out from under the fist aimed at his head and twisted in midair. A single arm reached out towards the cloud of dust where Tsunade had landed. "Tag, you're it!" His opponent's chakra coated hand shot out from the dust, hitting the blond jinchūriki on his jaw before he could react. He flew back into a wall.

"Did you just tag me? " The dust settled, revealing the livid Hokage.

"Um, n-no tag backs?"

"How dare you!" Embedded in the wall as he was, Naruto couldn't dodge her next attack.

Not too far away, a certain pink haired medic-nin snickered as something broke through the wall of the Hokage's office. That same medic nin laughed even harder when the something landed only a few feet away from her. She stepped across those last couple feet and peered down at her friend.

"Why, Sakura?" whined Naruto. Sakura just giggled in response. From his spot on the ground, Naruto looked up with a betrayed look on his face. Sakura sighed and squatted near his head.

"You did tag her, right?" she said, her muscles tense.

"Course I did..." mumbled Naruto.

There was a moment of silence then Sakura asked, "Are you okay? I could heal you."

"Thanks, Sakura, but I'm fine." Encouraged by her offer of assistance, Naruto pulled himself to his feet. "I would've been better if you hadn't left me to die, though. You owe me!" Sakura just rolled her eyes, and the two friends walked away. As usual with Naruto, his friend was forgiven, and the conversation soon turned to ramen.

/...Back in Tsunade's office...\

"Hey, Kakashi." Tsunade had returned to her seat, and Kakashi took up a post by the window. From his position, he watched Naruto and Sakura as they bickered about where to eat while appearing to read his book.

"Hm?" He didn't look up in time to avoid Tsunade's tap on his shoulder.

"Tag, you're it."


	2. The End

Thank you Ivypaw, Kosmas, Naomipy, and MsVuonis for the lovely reviews!

/...Tsunade's office...\

"Tag, you're it." Kakashi's single visible eye widened and then narrowed. He snapped his book shut and strode towards the door. A smirk wormed its way onto Tsunade's face when the small wave of air from the book's closing ruffled a piece of paperwork on the desk. "I have no intention losing this game. Especially not to Naruto." Even before she finished speaking, Kakashi slammed the door behind him. The rush of air from the door blew over the messy piles of paper on the Godaime's desk, scattering her paperwork all over the office floor. Tsunade's victorious smirk disappeared.

/...With Kakashi...\

"Naruto." A dark presence materialized behind the ramen-loving shinobi. Slowly, Naruto turned to face the source of the killing intent.

"Uh, h-hi Kakashi-sensei."Looking to his right, Naruto realized that Sakura had vanished, leaving him on his own. "She g-got you too, huh." The killing intent nearly doubled. All the anger and the hate left Naruto almost paralyzed. As he was trying to break free of the sort of trance that Kakashi had induced, a single arm reached out towards the petrified jinchūriki. Naruto trembled and took a deep breath, expecting the worst.

"You're it." Kakashi said as his hand ruffled Naruto's spiky, blond hair.

"What? That's it? I thought you were gonna kill me!"Kakashi's eye crinkled as he smiled. When the he turned to walk away, Naruto let out his breath looked around for Sakura. But then, he saw what was in his sensei's hand. "MY WALLET!" Pausing, Kakashi turned around, gave a small smile, and then disappeared, leaving Naruto behind.

/…=... \

Wandering around looking for Kakashi and Sakura, Naruto spotted Shikamrau laying on the ground near one of the training fields. Deciding that Shikamaru would be too lazy to run away, the blond boy headed towards him.

"Hey Shikamaru!" he said, waving.

"Oh, hey Naruto, didn't know you were back. What's up?"

Naruto walked up right next to his friend and plopped down on next to him. " Nothing much, just a game of tag." Warning bells rang in Shikamaru's head

Shikamaru groaned." Noo, please don't drag me into this, I have to go talk to Temari before she leaves." He made a move to get up.

" Okay, you can tag her then! You're it now!" Before his victim could stand up, Naruto ran away. As he had predicted, the lazy nin didn't try to chase him.

/…=... \  
" Shikamaru, you're late!" huffed Temari.

"Uh, yeah, sorry Temari. I was- uh."

One of the kunoichi's eyebrows rose, giving her an exasperated look. Shikamaru's sheepish expression answered her question. "Never mind, at least you're here now." Temari looked at Shikamaru expectantly.

"Um, goodbye Temari?"

He got a sigh in response. "Yeah, bye Shikamaru. See ya soon." As she started through the gates, Shikamaru kept forward, catching Temari's elbow.

"You're it Temari." Fearing the kunoichi's wrath, Shikamaru retreated back into Konoha as fast as possible.

"Damn it, Shikamaru!" Though she was angry, Temari had no choice but to keep going on to Suna. She was already behind schedule.

/…=... \

"Danna, I'm thirsty, un. Do you have any water?"

"No." Two figures in black and red cloaks trudged through the desert.

"Hey Danna." The tall person spoke up after a moment of silence.

"What!" Snapped the shorter figure.

"There's a Suna kunoichi comin' up behind us." The tall blond stopped and reached into the bag hanging at his side.

"So there is." The hunchback kept walking.

"What should we do? She doesn't seem aggressive." The blond ran a few steps to catch up to his partner.

"Ignore her." Shrugging, the blond man took his hand out of his pouch. When Temari ran past the two ninja, she threw out her arm and lightly brushed the taller man's arm.

As she went past them, they could hear her yell something. "What did she say, Danna?"

"I believe, Deidara, that she said, ' Tag, you're it.'"

They walked in silence for a few more moments, then Deidara smirked at his companion and smacked his back, producing a hollow thud.

"You're it now, Sasori. No tag-backs, un!"

"You're it, Itachi." Said Uchiha raised his eyebrow at Sasori, then to the surprise of everyone else, tagged Kisame. Kisame tagged Hidan, who swore, then tagged Kakuzu. Kakuzu reached over and tagged Konan, who ignored him. Everyone except Itachi turned their eyes towards her, waiting to see if she would tag the leader. To their disappointment, Konan did not. They then focused their attention on the job that they were there to do.

/...Pein and Konan...\

With a rustle of paper, Konan appeared behind her friend. Pein turned his head to acknowledge her arrival. She gently reached out and laid her hand on his shoulder. "Tag, you're it."


End file.
